The Georgia Institute of Technology has announced a new online cybersecurity master’s degree that will be offered for less than $10,000 and delivered in collaboration with edX. The Online Master of Science in Cybersecurity (OMS Cybersecurity) is designed to address a severe global workforce shortage in the field. According to the 2017 Global Information Security Workforce Study, the shortage is expected to reach 1.8 million people by 2022.

Georgia Tech is the only nationally ranked Top 10 university to offer such a program at a tuition rate intended to increase higher education accessibility and affordability. The degree has existed on campus since 2002 and costs $20,000 for in-state students and $40,000 for those out-of-state. Applications for spring 2019 are open now until October 1, 2018.

The OMS Cybersecurity program will launch January 7, 2019 with 250 students and will scale over time to meet demand and student needs. The program is designed to serve working professionals who can study part-time and earn the degree within two to three years. It is richly technical and offers the same three interdisciplinary tracks available on campus beginning with information security and followed by policy and energy systems in fall 2019.

“Georgia Tech’s OMS Cybersecurity degree pairs world-class computer science, engineering, and public policy instruction with Georgia Tech Research Institute’s legacy of applied research in areas related to military, government, and law enforcement,” said Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs and K. Harrison Brown Family Chair. “As demand continues to grow, Georgia Tech is proud to deliver innovative, affordable, top quality education in high-demand areas, like cybersecurity, to learners around the nation and world.”